Slam Dunk to the Beach is back in action for the 2023 high school basketball season partnering up with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to become HoopHall East. The 2023 field features multiple teams ranked in the top 25 nationally and numerous players ranked in the top 100 of their respective classes. Without further delay, here is a recap of day three of Hoophall East/Slam Dunk action.
Day Two Results:
Christ The King (NY) vs Friendship Tech Prep (DC) 58-46
Blair Academy (NJ) vs Bella Vista Prep (AZ) 48-53
The Phelps School (PA) vs The Bullis School (MD) 41-70
Westtown School (PA) vs Bishop McNamara (MD) 57-59
Standouts:
Malik Shackleford/ Friendship Tech Prep/ 6'3/ Guard/ 2026:
Shackleford displayed a level of poise, competitiveness and skill beyond his years in a loss to the bigger Christ The King. With the game on the verge of getting out of hand early in the second half, the rising sophomore put Friendship Tech on his back, scoring 18 of his team high 23 points in the second half, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter to keep the Titans in the game. A crafty scorer, tough defender and rebounder with good instincts and I.Q., Shackleford is definitely a prospect to pay close attention to moving forward.
Qingfang Pang/ Christ The King/ 6'9/ Forward/ 2024:
The Versatile forward was dominant in the Royals win over the Titans, posting a game high 28 points and 7 rebounds in entertaining fashion. Pang scored from all three levels of the floor, protected the paint and defended well on the perimeter while pulling down 7 rebounds in the process. Pang, is a sought after prospect from a number of DI programs which includes George Washington, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan and St John's among others.
Jayden Williams/ Bella Vista Prep/ 6'9/ Forward/ 2024:
High motor, athletic forward with good length impacted both ends of the floor in Bellas Vistas victory over Blair Academy. Williams ran the floor well, finished strong inside, using good footwork to score around (and over) Blair's forwards and centers, while rebounding at a high rate and defending bigs and guards from Blair at an effective level. The senior big man also plays with an edge that most coaches covet. Williams also has his fair share of offers, with programs like Georgetown, Florida and Georgia Tech all vying for his services.
Adrien Stevens/ The Bullis School/ 6'4/ Guard/ 2025:
Stevens has been the most consistent player for Bullis this week at Slam Dunk to the Beach/Hoophall East and its easy to understand why. Unlike most players in high school, he impacts the game at a high level on BOTH ends. Stevens literally did it all in the Bulldogs rout of Phelps, posting 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on 6-13 shooting from the field and ZERO turnovers. The combo guard can play both guard spots and defend multiple positions on the floor. Stevens is a game changer for Bullis and he currently holds 15 offers from various A-10, Big East, Big Ten and ACC schools.
Tyler Boston/ The Bullis School/ 6'0/ Point Guard/ 2024:
Boston controlled the game in ideal fashion as a point guard in Bullis big win over Phelps. The Holy Cross commit was efficient in all aspects of the game, posting 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals on 4-8 shootng from the field with only one turnover. However, his control of the pace of the game, was the x-factor in Bullis building their big lead and running away with the victory. Boston understood when to speed up the flow of the game on behalf of the Bulldogs, and then, slow things down, when there were possessions where Bullis got sloppy or took bad shots. Boston did the little things across the board that every floor general should do and was a huge part in Bullis convincing win.
